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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fan · cap · wake · net · bound · club · shower · bank

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wake — a trail
  3. cap — a hat
  4. bank — for money
  5. bank — for money
  6. bound — obliged
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. cap — a lid
  10. net — in sport
  11. club — a group
  12. net — for catching
  13. shower — rain
  14. bank — of a river
  15. club — for dancing
  16. shower — to wash
  17. bound — certain
  18. cap — of ice
  19. club — for golf
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bound — tied together
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. net — after costs

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com